Thank you, Yan. Good afternoon everyone. It's a great pleasure to be here and to welcome you to this year's European Civil Aeronautics Summit. It's really an honor to be gathering such an audience, such a number of key stakeholders: European Parliament members, European Commission representatives, global regulators, industry leaders, media, and many colleagues. This is a unique opportunity. Your participation today is a testament to your commitment to the aviation industry, its growth, its transition to decarbonization, and the contribution it makes to European prosperity. As Yan said, the aviation and aerospace industry is a key contributor to prosperity, growth, and enabling other businesses to operate and grow globally—on top of tourism and connecting with friends and families. This is one of the few sectors where Europe is a world leader, and that's something we should cherish, protect, defend, and support. It drives innovation, technologies, and prosperity. It's also closely connected to defense because of dual-use technologies, where cross-fertilization happens. At a time when Europe is challenged on security and defense, gaining the scale and investment from civil aviation helps our competitiveness and sovereignty. These are so-called dual-use technologies. Even though this is a civil aviation summit, it's important to remember the ecosystem. We are in a sector where demand is higher than supply—an amazing privilege. Backlogs are growing; at Airbus, we have a backlog of 8,700 planes and produce roughly 770 per year, over 11–12 years of backlog. This is because products are attractive but we have supply difficulties. The post-COVID recovery has been challenging; we need to support supply chains, both European and non-European. On safety: we tend to take it for granted. For Airbus—about half the fleet—there are 400,000–500,000 people in the air right now on Airbus aircraft. Five to six million people will fly on Airbus today, 2.5 billion this year, with one takeoff or landing every second. We've not had an accident with fatalities on board since Pakistan 2020, but we had the A350 landing on a Coast Guard airplane in Tokyo on January 2, 2024, with ground fatalities. Despite that, flying at 10,000 meters high, 1,000 km/h, -50 to -60°C—we forget what we've achieved. An A321neo or A350 with 80% load factor burns about 2 liters per passenger per 100 km, better than a car. That's why aviation is only 2% of CO2 emissions, stable for 25 years despite traffic doubling every 15 years. Aviation is a force for good if we decarbonize. The first revolution was heavier-than-air flight; the second was safety; the third was democratization; the fourth is decarbonization. This sector is vital for Europe. We've engaged with European regulators on Fit for 55 and the Clean Deal; now the Clean Industrial Deal recognizes the need for competitiveness and reindustrialization. We contribute to trade balance and add high-skilled jobs. Destination 2050 wrote to Ursula von der Leyen to include the sector in the Clean Industrial Deal. Thank you for your presence. I'll be brief—this summit will be a success if we inspire, exchange ideas, and move forward together. We need action, from think tank to do tank. Europe is in a leadership seat, and we must do the right things to stay there. Thanks, and back to Yan or the moderator.
